Remain the Same
by rainonmonday
Summary: It was all pretending. Pretending to be stupid. Pretending to be an idiot. Pretending he needed to be in high school. But maybe it wasn't pretending. Being a teenager was certainly hard for Bruce Wayne. For Diana, it's all very amusing.
1. Chapter 1

**Honestly, I don't know where this is going (or if it is even going somewhere at all, since I never even thought about writing for Batman). It seems like quite a difficult task. Let's see what you think about it.**

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**Chapter 1 : Not Every Day is the Same**

It was never sunny in Gotham. It really never seemed to be a day in which the sun was up in the sky without gloomy clouds covering it. And the first day of school was not different from any other day. Really, was there anything more boring than school and all those kids who lived oblivious to all the evil in the city? Those kids only wanted to have a good time and sneak out of their homes in the middle of the night to enjoy a good party in an underground club.

"Sorry," a boy muttered as he slammed against him but hurried away before he could even reply.

Heaving a sigh, he tried to keep his frustration at bay but it seemed impossible for him. He just shouldered his backpack and kept on walking down the hall until a boy of about his height, but blond and leaner, smirked at him.

"Wayne, where the hell have you been?"

It took him a few seconds to find his public persona and shove his real personality to the back of his head as he chuckled. "You know, new year, freshman girls. Just checking that out." A complete lie but it wasn't as if Harvey was going to find out that he had been later than usual because of the research he had been doing on some jujitsu sensei before signing him up as his personal trainer.

"_Sure_," Harvey winked at him. "It's just like every year. All the girls want Bruce Wayne."

"Jealous?" Bruce asked as he kept on walking towards his locker. The thing was empty and it would be kept that way for as long as possible, except for the hiding spot at the back of it.

He often wondered why he had allowed Alfred to enroll him into a public school and not just get his GED… a few years ago. Not only it was because it was because he wouldn't have been able to pretend to be _stupid_ and just like any other rich kid, but Alfred believed he needed to socialize with people his age, something Bruce thought completely unnecessary given the less than average intellects he had found there.

"Not at all," Harvey said, leaning against the locker next to his. "I happen to be very popular on my own. Thank you very much." He eyed the hallway and smiled as a tall and gorgeous brunette strutted down the hall, the predatory smile on her face growing as she got closer to them. "But Selina might only have eyes for you."

Bruce refrained himself from rolling his eyes as he glanced at the girl walking past him. She was indeed beautiful with her dark hair and cat-like eyes, her body lean with just the right curves… and he was a man who appreciated the delicacy in a woman's body. Well, technically he was still a teenager, one who had inherited a transnational conglomerate and had an IQ of 192 points, but still as hormonal as his peers.

She smiled at him through her eyelashes and flipped her hair as she kept walking, swaying her hips as if she was walking down a catwalk.

"I'm not a one-woman man," Bruce replied, easily falling in his character of womanizer.

"Yeah, but all women are Bruce-Wayne women," Harvey quipped as his _friend_ stepped away, smirking, suavely avoiding to bump into a girl. The blonde boy just chuckled as the crowd made room for the Wayne heir to walk.

To keep appearances, Bruce made a number of sacrifices, like not having real friends or trusting completely in anyone. It was difficult to be him but also easy with how the world fell at the feet of a rich brat like him.

"Bruce," a soft voice called and he stopped just at the door of the classroom to face a redhead with blue eyes, too smart for her own sake but also pretending to be normal for her father's sake. "Good morning."

"Hi, Barbara."

"Did you know we're together in most classes this semester?"

"Are we?" He walked past her and she followed as he knew she would do.

Barbara was what he would possibly call one of his closest friends, just because she wasn't interested in the same things other people were. She didn't care about how much he kept in his bank account or how many parties he planned on throwing in his mansion. But most girls believed there was something more there, even if he only saw her as a little and crazy smart, albeit annoying, sister.

"Yes, we are. And I believe that's a good thing considering the way your GPA dropped significantly last year." He glared at her as he sat down. He would talk to Alfred later about sharing information with Barbara and James Gordon – and how _not_ to do it. "I could help you out. Tutor you."

His eyes narrowed to slits. She knew perfectly well he did not need help, and her tone proved it. She was just making clear that he wasn't allowed to slack off, no matter how _calculated_ the risk was.

"Thank you for the offer, Barb." His voice was cold as ice but she didn't seem fazed by it as she sat next to him.

"You're welcome."

"You know that doesn't mean I'm going to take it, right?"

She smiled, seemingly innocently, at him. "Oh, you are if you don't want me to tell Alfred about you skipping classes. Again. And about how you went into the East End when you said you were going to my house."

Clenching his jaw, he muttered, "Alfred is not my father, Barb. Do I need to remind you of that too?"

She sighed. "He worries. You of all people-"

"Let's not talk about this. Ever." He turned around to face the teacher who had just entered the classroom and was glad for once that Barb wouldn't open her mouth as she was too busy paying attention to the class.

* * *

"Master Bruce," Alfred greeted as he expertly chopped some carrots. "How was your first day of school?" His smile was gentle, as always, trying to give some kind of normalcy to his hectic life but apparently failing miserably as Bruce harrumphed in reply. "Oh, well, in that case, I hope your day improves. I'm cooking your favorite meal-"

"Did you _have_ to tell Barb about my grades?" Bruce slammed the keys of the Aston Martin he drove to school – a replica of James Bond's DB5 – against the counter. He was clearly irritated.

Alfred's eyes widened slightly at the outburst but soon his face went back to the peaceful semblance. "Miss Gordon happens to be a close friend who worries about your well-being, as her father does. I mentioned it only because you won't listen to me."

Bruce scoffed. "You think I'm going to listen to _her_?"

"I thought maybe you would react to one of your peers' comment. And better Miss Gordon than Mister Dent."

"Harvey is a douche."

Alfred's little smile couldn't be concealed as much as he tried. Everyone knew Harvey Dent was a very smart and talented boy, but a bit showy and prone to use unconventional methods to achieve his goals.

"I'm sure you are concerned to be labeled under the same concept as your friends."

Bruce's eyebrow hitched up as he smirked.

"But I'd like to make clear that I'm concerned about your education." Bruce was about to open his mouth but the butler continued before the teen could utter a word. "And I'm not talking about your intellect, which we both know is quite developed." As he chopped a piece of carrot forcefully, the knife met the cutting board with a loud thud. "Is your emotional and social life that I'm worried about."

This was one of those rare times in which Bruce Wayne was at a loss. He opened and closed his mouth before scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm fine," he mumbled.

Alfred smirked to himself. "Oh. I know. You're probably being old-fashioned and courting a lady properly before asking her out. It just surprises me since you're sixteen and you've never even insinuated-"

"There's no… _lady_," Bruce muttered awkwardly. He caught the mischief in the older man's eyes and soon glared at him. "And it's none of your business," he added in a particularly deep voice.

As he retreated to his bedroom, Alfred shook his head and continued cooking.

Youth was so strange. What was so wrong about a boy being interested in a girl? Nothing! But Bruce didn't see things that way, of course. Sometimes the boy thought too much about everything.

* * *

Next morning seemed a repeat of the previous. There were the same faces and noises, the annoying murmur of people gossiping, shouting and moving carelessly through the halls.

It was extremely boring for someone who absorbed knowledge as a sponge and cared very little about the mundane issues of the fellow students. He could pretend to care about Vicki Vale's latest article for the school paper or who Tristan Sawyer was dating – who the hell was he anyway?

But as he was making his way to his _empty_ locker, he had a déjà vu. He bumped into the same kid as the day before, but this time the boy – who couldn't be more than fourteen, and also a new student since he was really lost – looked at him terrified.

"S-sorry, sir."

"Sir?" Bruce's eyebrow arched, slightly amused with the boy's reaction. "Do I look that old?"

"No! I meant, sorry. Just sorry."

"Who are you?"

"Richard Grayson, but everyone calls me Dick."

"I am-"

"Bruce Wayne. I know. Everyone knows."

Oh. Well, that explained why the boy was afraid of him. Bruce wasn't fool enough to ignore all the gossip about him, and since his name was already known around the city, it was hard to pretend to be _just_ like everyone else. People thought he was a jerk and he gave them every reason to believe so.

"Uh," Bruce said pensively. "Let's not make a habit of meeting each other this way, Dick." He outstretched a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Dick looked at his hand and blinked a few times, his gaze traveling up to meet the older teen's face before he shook the offered hand.

"Am I in trouble?"

Bruce laughed. It was a strange sound, as if his vocal cords were rusty due to the lack of use for actual laughter. It wasn't entirely unpleasant but it was foreign even to his own ears. It just happened that there weren't many reasons in his life to laugh.

"No, you're not."

"Great." Dick grinned. He was a lanky boy, not comfortable with his own body since he had probably just gone through his growth spurt. He was all awkward limbs and slightly pimple-faced, nothing like the boys with whom Bruce hung out. "Um, I'd hate for that to happen on my first week of school. We just moved here-" Dick started to talk a mile an minute but Bruce completely ignored him as his eyes fell upon the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

Surely she was a goddess fallen from Olympus. Her black hair was shiny as the feathers of a raven, falling gracefully past her shoulders, reaching her elbows. Her hourglass shape was magnificent. The skin was pale and looked soft, beckoning him to touch. Her bright blue eyes were the turquoise shade of sea in the Caribbean… not that he liked the sun that much.

People moved out of the way just to look at her walk by.

And when she approached, she smiled coyly at him – or past him. Well, she actually walked with her head high and a proud smile on her lips but boys tend to be driven by hormones from time to time.

"-and my parents really want me to do well in school," Dick kept talking until he noticed him twisting his neck in an unnatural way just to keep staring at the girl. "Ah!" Dick chuckled as if he had secrets hidden from Bruce. "That's Diana Prince."

Bruce was close to snapping his neck as he swiveled around to face him. "You know her?"

"Yes," Dick replied, biting back the _duh _at the end. "She's new too. We met yesterday, when we were picking up our schedules. She's really nice."

"Nice?" Bruce muttered with incredulity.

"She is."

"What else do you know about her?"

"She's an exchange student and she asked me to sit with her during lunch, since we're both new."

"I could sit with you," Bruce said casually, shrugging a shoulder. "Just, you know, to answer your questions and so people don't bother you."

Dick said nothing but smirked a little. "Sure."


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so another chapter. I sincerely appreciate your reviews since I'm not quite confident about this story, yet I'm having fun writing it. Hopefully you have the same fun reading it.  
**

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**Chapter 2 : It Is Not That Funny  
**

"Hey," Dick said as he laid his tray on the table and sat to Diana's right just as she was taking a bite of her Greek salad, a cube of feta cheese already stabbed by her fork.

"Hello, Richard," she greeted with a kind smile but soon her eyes were on the other boy, still standing close to the table, expertly holding a tray with one hand while the other held a couple of heavy looking books and a messenger bag strapped across his chest.

"This is Bruce," Dick explained before either of the other teens said anything – and noting how they both looked at each other. Diana seemed reluctant at the sight of Bruce, a little mistrustful. Instead, the somewhat nervous yet charming half-smile on Bruce's face was almost comical.

Dick swallowed his chuckle with a sip of his soda.

"Hi," Bruce greeted as he sat across from them, carefully placing his tray next to his books. But Diana just deepened her scowl, her blue eyes glinting with something akin to fury.

"You haven't been granted permission to join us for this meal."

Bruce's mouth fell open but no words came out.

Clearing his throat, Dick turned to Diana. "I invited him. It didn't cross my mind that it would upset you, since we are both new and… well, you said we should be making _friends_. Sorry I didn't check with you earlier."

Her gaze turned soft once it fell on Dick again. "Oh. Do not apologize, Richard. You intended to do a kind gesture. It is appreciated."

In the meantime, Bruce had leaned over the table, resting on his elbows. It was clear he was studying the beautiful girl in front of him, the hint of a smile playing on his lips as she spoke warmly to the younger boy. "I _do_ apologize for interrupting your… _meal_," he offered sincerely but awkwardly, glad that the girl nodded at his words.

"Your apologies are accepted, Bruce," she replied in a very formal way. "I am Diana Prince." She seemed to have bitten back a few words as she pursed her lips.

"Bruce Wayne," he replied, outstretching his hand for her to shake but she just looked at it with a furrowed brow, prompting for him to slowly retreat it. "Uhm, Dick mentioned you are an exchange student."

"That's correct."

"Where are you from?" Bruce tugged open the lid of a yogurt as he spoke, seemingly forgetting he hadn't even taken a bite of his sandwich or too preoccupied of not making himself look like a _jerk_. "If you don't mind me asking."

Diana's perfect posture seemed to change with a bit of pride as she said, "Greece, you could say."

Snorting a laugh, Bruce motioned to her salad. "How fitting."

She shot him a look. "I beg your pardon?"

"The salad. _Greek_ salad?" He saw the way she looked at him, as if he had lost his mind. "Never mind."

Dick chuckled as he kept eating his food, almost choking on his soda at the look Diana gave when Bruce mentioned the Greek salad.

It was the first time since, well, ever that Bruce felt so clumsy around anyone, especially a girl. He had always been so good at making them blush and giggle, but right then with Diana, all bets were off. She was not like any other girl he had met. This feeling of inadequacy was certainly new for him.

The uncomfortable silence that followed only made Bruce wish he could've just made something up to flee the scene, to save part of his self-esteem to return another day, more prepared to face her.

At the other side of the table, Dick sighed loudly, earning himself the attention of Diana despite all the noise in the cafeteria. "I believe you're being rude to Bruce, Diana. Not all of us know about your customs. He's just trying to be nice."

At this Bruce felt like groaning and running away, denying everything and just saying he really wasn't. It was always easier to pretend he didn't care than to show honest emotion around people. Perhaps he had forgotten all about it. It was quite comfortable to follow in the role of the very sociable person when everyone around you just fell at your feet.

Gasping, Diana turned to Bruce. "Have I? My apologies to you. I'm not used to the Man's World and its customs."

"The Man's World?" Bruce inquired.

"That's how she calls America," Dick whispered rather loudly. "Don't ask why."

Smiling at her, and only her, since at the moment was all he could focus on, Bruce said, "Your apologies are welcomed, Diana."

"Thank you," she replied, smiling brightly and so innocently at him, Bruce felt a strange feeling at the pit of his stomach.

She was so delicate with her flawless sun-kissed skin, her dark hair falling in gentle waves over her shoulders when she tucked it behind her ear. Her red sweater only accentuated her beauty.

He took a bite of his sandwich and noticed how she had practically wolfed down her salad while he and Dick were still midway through their food. Her cheeks colored adorably as soon as she realized. "I should've gotten something more… wholesome," she muttered pensively, looking at her empty bowl.

"You can have my apple," Bruce offered, handing her a large and bright red apple that she plucked gracefully from his hands.

"Thank you." She bit into it, the juice of the apple running down her chin before she dabbed at it with the tip of her fingers.

Bruce was transfixed while looking at her and was about to ask more questions about her and everything he could find out – also making a pause to talk to Dick since he seemed to be working as a translator between them when Diana forgot how the new high-school and the new country worked. Unfortunately, right at that moment a ball of paper hit him on the side of the head.

His neck almost snapped when he looked around, glaring at people who froze under his gaze. Yet no one seemed to be the guilty one.

Dick grabbed the ball of paper and opened it. "It's a note." His eyebrows knitted together as he read, "More precious than gold, but cannot be bought, can never be sold, only earned if it's sought. If it is broken, it can still be mended. At birth it can't start nor by death is it ended. And to have it, Bruce Wayne has only pretended."

Diana furrowed her brow as well, studying the piece of paper. "What does this mean? I do not understand."

Bruce looked at his tray. The good mood he'd had up until then vanished. He knew very well that the note chucked at his head hadn't just been a bunch of words sweet Diana couldn't understand. "It's a riddle," he responded sullenly.

"Oh," Dick murmured and silently read the note again, trying to figure out what was being said in it.

"Friendship," Bruce said. "It's referring to friendship."

Snatching the note from Dick's hands, Diana read it and sighed. "This is quite… mean to say." Her eyes turned soft when she looked into his, a tender smile was painted on her pink and plump lips. She didn't wear much makeup unlike other girls, and Bruce could say he enjoyed the much more natural beauty. "You've been nice to us, even if we haven't spoken much and despite your strange attempts on humorous remarks."

Laughing softly just as Dick did, Bruce tilted his head to the side, prodding for more.

"Perhaps it's because you seem so… guarded."

"That's the last thing some people would say about me," Bruce replied, looking at her clasped hands over the table, still holding the note. Her wrists were enclosed in silver bracelets that shone under the light.

"You look different from most people here." Had she discovered his secret? One look from someone and that was it? "Everyone else seems so flippant. You too at first but if Dick invited you to eat with us, you mustn't."

Shrugging, Dick looked at him as he wasn't getting this whole thing.

Bruce laughed for the second time that day. Diana seemed taken aback by his reaction, eyes widening before she leaned back on the chair, folding her arms across her chest. She got mad at him.

"You're not like anyone else… _Princess_." Bruce had leaned forward and noticed how her eyes widened in surprise and her cheeks were bathed in a light pink.

"Bruce?" A velvety voice said. Soon Bruce saw Selina standing next to him, her dainty hand on his shoulder. The dirty look she shot at Diana was accompanied with, "What are you doing with _her_?" a question full of disdain.

Dick's eyebrow arched, wondering why he was being completely ignored. Yes, he was younger but still, he was there. That was until a rather bubbly blonde girl behind Selina winked at him, giggling in an almost madly fashion. Feeling his face burning with embarrassment, Dick decided it was better if he went unnoticed.

"Selina," Bruce called, motioning to Diana, he introduced her but knowing quite well Selina didn't like to see pretty girls around her _territory_ unless they were under her command, like Harleen Quinzel standing there with her.

Scoffing, Selina flipped her hair. She looked at Diana with a saccharine smile, completely fake and Diana noticed it. "I know you must be new around here, so I'll make this clear for you. Bruce likes to be a nice guy," she rolled her eyes, giving away that she thought _being nice_ was overrated. "But you need to keep in mind he's never, _never_ going to keep interest in a plain looking _Jane_ such as yourself." She picked imaginary lint from Diana's relaxed red sweater.

"My name is Diana," the foreign beauty replied, and both Dick and Bruce pursed their lips to not laugh at Selina's befuddled expression. "And I'm not plain." She stood up, batting Selina's hand away. "I would appreciate if you kept your hands off me."

In the background, a shout was heard. "Woo-hoo! Catfight!"

Bruce gave a suffering sigh as he recognized Harvey's voice. He closed his eyes and tried to determine the reason why they were _friends_ or pinpoint the moment in which that had occurred.

"Catfight?" Diana asked looking at Dick.

"A fight between girls," the boy explained.

"I won't fight her. She's _weak_," Diana stated simply. "I'd hurt her and I do not intend to do such damage."

"_What_ did you just say?" Selina was clearly in a bad mood by now. "You think you can hurt me?" She laughed. Her anger showed and Bruce was about to stand up and mediate between the girls when he was held down by Harvey.

"Come on, dude. This is _hot_!"

"Hot?" Diana frowned as she looked at Harvey.

The blond boy swiftly moved to stand between Selina and Diana. "Hello, I'm Harvey Dent. We haven't met yet but I'm sure we will be _very_ good friends." Not only did he say this with a horrible attempt to be seductive but he also put his hand on Diana's shoulder without her permission. Her face twisted with fury and soon everyone saw how Harvey flew across the cafeteria, his back hitting the wall before he fell on his ass.

His eyes were wide and he looked completely humiliated while everyone else gaped at Diana, about ten feet away from Harvey.

"Do not touch me!" she remarked while Dick and Bruce stood up, gathering their things.

Bruce was tempted to take Diana's hand but after seeing her outburst, he only leaned closer to say, "We should go. Now." This was going to be trouble for all of them, so the faster they moved, the sooner they could avoid it.

She looked around her, at all the people staring and whispering and she ducked her head. "Yes."

As the three of them moved to leave, Selina was the only one who spoke loud enough but only to say, "She's a _freak_, Bruce. Are you really going with her?"

Bruce narrowed his eyes at the girl but said nothing and only followed Dick and Diana.

"Let's go." He motioned for the other to follow but stopped when they did. He was about to push open the door to walk into the parking lot. "What?"

"I have class," Diana said, eyes full of sincerity. She was such a good girl; it almost provoked him to laugh. This was Gotham and she stood out like a sore thumb.

"Me too," said Dick.

"And so do I but… it's just the first week." It wasn't convincing since they both frowned at him. "We could go out." He scowled at himself. What was he going to offer? Going to the mall? He _never_ did that, why was he trying to behave like any other teen?

"Oh, can we have ice cream?" Diana asked with a huge grin, almost child-like. "I've never had one."

"You've never-" Dick mumbled and soon shook his head. "Where do you come from? _Ancient_ Greece?"

Bruce smiled at her. "Sure."

"Okay, only because she's lived under a rock her whole life. But my parents are not going to like this. I've never skipped classes before and I don't pretend to start now," Dick rambled as he followed them to the silver Aston Martin. He didn't protest about the small space when he had to climb in the back but kept on talking.

Bruce thought it was going to be a long drive, and horrible also when he thought about going downtown for ice cream. But then he looked at Diana and the gleam of excitement in her eyes as she buckled her seatbelt and he sighed. He was screwed.


End file.
